Minecraft's creeper needs more love from Mojang, as skeleton gets another new variant

There is probably no Minecraft mob more iconic than the creeper. Originally the result of a bug that caused pigs to have reversed proportions, the explosive mob is recognizable to everyone who plays the game. Yet, for how important and iconic it is, it has not received any significant changes or variants in over a decade, with 1.3.1 featuring the last major tweak in 2012.

This is a far cry from mobs like skeletons, which have received their second new variant in just a handful of updates in Minecraft 1.21's bogged and have seen a plethora of reworks over the years.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer

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Minecraft's skeletons get second variant, while creeper goes without an update

Skeleton changes and variants

A bogged about to shoot a player (Image via Mojang)

The skeleton is probably the Minecraft mob that has received the most attention from Mojang over the years. It has received numerous unique types, such as left-handed and armored variants, as well as the ability to pick up and shoot tipped arrows off of the ground after they were introduced.

There have also been two entire new mobs added to the game based on the skeleton. The first is the stray, a frozen skeleton covered in tattered clothing found in cold climates that attacks players with arrows of slowness.

The second is the bogged. This swamp-spawning skeleton is easier to kill than regular skeletons, having only eight hearts. However, it attacks with poison arrows that can deal huge damage to players over time. Besides the swamp, it can also be found in Minecraft 1.21's upcoming trial chambers.

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How could the creeper be changed?

A charged creeper (Image via Mojang)

While Minecraft has a creeper variant in the charged creeper, it was added in beta 1.5, which was released in 2011. This proves just how forgotten creepers seem to be.

There are a lot of different ways Minecraft could change the pre-existing creeper to spice it up for modern versions, as well as new types of mobs that could take inspiration from it.

Vanilla creepers could be made faster or have a shorter fuse, depending on the difficulty, to make the timing window for knocking them away shorter.

Alternatively, new types of mobs could be added, such as mini-creepers that are faster, deal less damage, and do not break blocks. There could also be elemental variants like water creepers, which do not deal damage but leave annoying water source blocks where they explode, or stone creepers, which explode into dripstone.

Mojang could even take inspiration from community-made creeper variants, such as the Creeper Overhaul mod, which gives many biomes unique creeper types that blend in much better than the generic, if iconic, lime green regular creeper would. This makes these new variants much scarier, as they can sneak up on players better, a pleasant change from the easy-to-deal-with current creepers.

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Given how many of Minecraft's lesser mobs, in terms of popularity, have had major reworks, improvements, and even variations, it is insane that Mojang has neglected the creeper for 12 years straight. Hopefully, with new mob variations being added, like the bogged and breeze, future game versions will introduce their own new creeper types.